Car-coupling



(NoModel.) .Y

E. L. RICKSON.

y CAR GOUPLING. No. 593,815. v Patented Nov. 16,1897.

y Y 'I A-T7'0H1VEY. l

oNiTnD STATES PAT-ENT FFICE.

ERNEST L. RICKSON, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA. l

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 593,815, dated November 16, 1897. Application filed August 12, 1897 Serial No. 648,033. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ERNEST L. RIcKsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubuque, in the county ofDubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; andI do de' clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the figures vof reference marked thereon, which form apart of this speciiication.

The object of my invention is the produc- 'tion of a vertical plane coupler which shallbe provided with suitable means forcoupling the same to a coupler of an adjacent car when the knuckle or part of the draw-head has been broken away. v

With this object in View my invention consists in providing a coupler with a lock in the form of a link, which is perforated to receive the operating-pin and which has its rear end movably seated within the coupler-shank.

It further consists in certain novelties of l construction and combinations of parts hereinafter specified and claimed. y

Figure l shows my coupler attached in operative position to the frame of an ordinary box-car, the view being in section `taken on a line through the shank of the coupler and through the end sill and buffer-block of the car. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section al plan view of my coupler. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 1, taken on a line directly in front of the operating-pin. Fig. Ltis an illustration of a modified form of lock.

On the figures of the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the ordinary draw-head.

2 is the knuckle; 3, the tail of the knuckle;

4, the shank, made hollow, as shown; 5, theA shank of the coupler.

12 are projections forming with the projection 11 a seat for the rear. end of the lock.

13 are wings adjacent the upper end of the operating-pin. 14 are wings adjacent the lower end of the said pin; 15, recesses in the draw-head to receive the wings 13 of the operating-pin.

16 `are recesses in the lower part of the shank which receive the wings 11, and 174 is a recess formed'in the draw-headimmediately above the front end of the lock.

The operation of the coupler is as follows: When the knuckle is open and in position for being automatically coupled with the coupling of an adjacent car, the impact of the adjacent coupler rotates the knuckle 2 and forces the beveled end 8 of the tail of the knuckle against the beveled surface 10 of the lock 5. The end of the lock is raised to the position shown in dot-ted lines in Fig. 1, in which the4 end of the said lock rests within the recess 9 on the tail of the knuckle. By a further ro- 'tation of the knuckle it passes to an entirely closed position, the lock drops by gravity, and the parts occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2. The act of uncoupling is eected by raising the operating-pin 6, the wings 1414 engaging the sides of the lock and forcing its front end to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. y

It will be observed that the rear end of the lock, which is in the form of a link, is held loosely Within a seat formed by the upwardlyprojecting lug 11 and the inwardly-project- ,Y

ing lugs 12. The operating-pin itself is held against rotation by the wings 13 13 itting within the recesses 15 15 ofthe draw-head.

Should the knuckle or part of the draw-head become broken while the lcar is in service on the road, the rear end of the lock is raised from its seat and the same pulled outwardly to the position indicated in dotted .lines in Fig. 2, when it can be coupled to an adjacent car by the ordinary pin. Y

The method of assembling the -several parts of the coupler is quite obvious and need not be described.

It has been found in actual service that cars often part by reason of the weaknessor in- IOO adequate weight of the means employed for locking the tail of the knuckle in a closed position. To strengthen the lock and also to increase its weight, I have devised the form of lock illustrated in Fig. 4, in which 18 indicates a perforation of the proper shape to admit the passage of the operating-pin and the wings 14 14, and 1S a slot adapted to tit the projecting lug 1l within the shank of the coupler. By this construction the mass of metal adjacent the tail of the knuckle is increased and the tendency of the end of the lock to be raised by the vibrations and movements of the ear is obviated. To adapt this form of lock for use in an emergency as a link, it is necessary to raise the operating-pin a suiiicient distance to allow the said lock to be drawn out, inasmuch as there is not a continuous slot from end to end.

While I have illustrated and described but one example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention and one modified form of lock, I do not thereby intend to limit the same to the exact details of construction, as many minor changes may be introduced and equivalent elements substituted for those shown without making a substantial departure.

lVhat I claim as new, and desiretO Secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described coupler having a draw-head; a knuckle with a tail; a lock for the tail in the form of a perforated link; a seat on the inside of the hollow shank formed by inwardly and upwardly projecting lugs of metal integral with the said shank for holding the lock against endwise movement bot-h rearwardly and forwardly; and a pin for operating the lock; in substance as set forth.

2. A car-coupler having a knuckle; a drawhead; a shank; a lock; and an operating-pin gl said shank being provided with a lug, as 1l, extending upwardly and within the slot of the lock; and a stop, as 12; in substance as set forth.

3. A coupler having a draw-head; a knuckle and tail; a longitudinally-slotted lock with closed ends for the knuckle located within the hollow shank and provided with a substantially rectangular end and beveled surface 10; and an operating-pin; said tail of the knuckle having a recess at 9 and a beveled surface at 8, whereby the said tail may rise and clear the end of the lock when the knuckle is rotated; in substance as set forth.

4. The combination with a car-coupler, constructed and operating as described, of a lock in the form of a slotted link and an operatingpin having the wings 14, fitting recesses 16 in the shank said pinibeing passed through the slot in the link and its lower end extended through a hole below the recesses 16 in substance as set forth.

5. The combination with a coupler, constructed substantially as described, of a slotted lock, and an operating-pin; said pin being provided with the wings 14, 14 and 13, 13, the latter fitting within a recess 15 in the drawhead, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination with a car-coupler, constructed substantially as described, and having a raised lng 11, of the lock in the form of a link and provided with two slots 18 and 18', the said lu g 11 extending upwardly and within the slot 18 for the purpose of preventing a forward movement of the lock under normal conditions, in substance as set forth.

v In testimony whereof I aii'ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST L. RICKSON.

Vitnesses THEoDoRE F. Ris, JOEL F. NELSON. 

